Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

Huntsman Co. (NYSE:HUN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $16.95 and last traded at $16.95, with a volume of 1088895 shares. The stock had previously closed at $17.00.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on HUN. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Huntsman from $26.00 to $25.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Huntsman from $24.00 to $23.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on Huntsman from $23.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Huntsman from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.14.

Huntsman Stock Performance

The stock has a market cap of $2.94 billion, a PE ratio of -24.64 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $19.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.48.

Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.10 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.10. The firm had revenue of $1.54 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.55 billion. Huntsman had a negative net margin of 1.99% and a negative return on equity of 0.03%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.15 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Huntsman Co. will post 0.09 earnings per share for the current year.

Huntsman Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, December 31st. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.88%. Huntsman’s payout ratio is presently -144.93%.

Insider Transactions at Huntsman

In other Huntsman news, Director Mary C. Beckerle sold 20,201 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.42, for a total transaction of $432,705.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 5.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Huntsman

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Huntsman by 52.4% during the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,358,390 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $53,701,000 after purchasing an additional 811,099 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Huntsman in the second quarter valued at $559,000. Acadian Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Huntsman by 97.2% during the second quarter. Acadian Asset Management LLC now owns 413,104 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $9,403,000 after buying an additional 203,662 shares during the last quarter. Quest Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of Huntsman by 333.8% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 35,792 shares of the basic materials company’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 27,542 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC lifted its holdings in Huntsman by 9,699.1% during the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 10,387 shares of the basic materials company’s stock valued at $237,000 after buying an additional 10,281 shares in the last quarter. 84.81% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Huntsman

Huntsman Corporation manufactures and sells diversified organic chemical products worldwide. The company operates in three segments: Polyurethanes, Performance Products, and Advanced Materials. The Polyurethanes segment offers polyurethane chemicals, including methyl diphenyl diisocyanate, polyether and polyester polyols, and thermoplastic polyurethane; and aniline, benzene, nitrobenzene and other co-products.